6 duels won: Liverpool colossus had his ‘best 45 minutes for the club’ as Reds see off Brighton
One Liverpool player was deemed to have had his ‘best 45 minutes for the club’ in the first half of the 3-0 victory over Brighton on Saturday night.
The Reds cruised into the fifth round of the FA Cup as they saw off the Seagulls at Anfield, with Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mo Salah grabbing the goals for Arne Slot’s side.
The Scouse midfielder’s opener shortly before half-time saw him get on the end of a sublime cross from Milos Kerkez, with the Hungarian capping his terrific performance tonight with a second assist in his last three games.
Kerkez had ‘his best 45 minutes’ for Liverpool tonight
In an collaborative article for The Athletic reflecting on Liverpool’s win over Brighton, Dan Sheldon was keen to highlight the 22-year-old’s contribution to a hugely satisfying result for the Reds.
He wrote: ‘Watching Milos Kerkez against Brighton & Hove Albion was a reminder of why Liverpool paid £40m to sign him from Bournemouth last summer.
‘The left-back was at his Bournemouth best in Liverpool’s win, a steady presence in defence and a constant threat on the overlap going forward. He exuded energy at Anfield, and got his just reward with a lovely first-time cross to set up Jones for the opening goal late in the first half.’
Sheldon added: ‘It may have taken several months for Kerkez to settle at Liverpool, but you could make the case that the first half was his best 45 minutes for the club, which will only further boost his confidence following a run of good performances.’
Kerkez was superb for Liverpool all night
The Hungarian left-back had to endure some tough moments in his first few months on Merseyside, being substituted just 38 minutes into the win at Burnley in September and seeing Gary Neville liken his performances to those of a 10-year-old.
If the Sky Sports pundit was watching tonight’s match, it’s safe to say that he’d have had a rather more glowing assessment of Liverpool’s number 6, who not only set up Jones’ opener but also drew a fine save from Jason Steele in the first half and offered a constant threat from the left flank.
Paul Gorst awarded Kerkez 8/10 in his post-match player ratings for the Liverpool Echo, with the journalist proclaiming that the 22-year-old ‘is growing in stature by the week’ at Anfield, and the statistics from the Brighton game (as per Sofascore) back that up.
| Pass completion | 79% |
| Duels won | 6 |
| Tackles made | 4 |
| Clearances | 2 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Shots on target | 1 |
| Key passes | 1 |
| ‘Big chances’ created | 1 |
The Hungary international has had a tough act to follow in Andy Robertson, and a different head coach might well have listened to some external pleas to drop him in favour of the long-serving Scot after a tough few weeks in the autumn.
Instead, Slot kept faith in the ex-Bournemouth colossus and is now being rewarded with a series of increasingly mature and influential dispalys from a player who’s now proving to be a vital presence in this Liverpool team.
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